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3 comments for “A Legal Analysis of Proposition 8”

L Fay

August 25, 2008 at 2:13 am

Regarding LDS anti-gay crusades…

I was a teenage convert and was active in the LDS for 30 years before coming out, because i grew up in a rural area where no one seemed to know about homosexuality, and i was also in a church that did not know anything good about gays, so it is no surprize that i did not know i was gay until it became too obvious to ignore.

During all those years i avoided dating girls and didnt try to think of sex at all in any way and tried to find my way in religion, but in the end the religion thing went bad because they didnt like who we are, so i avoided telling anyone at church until i personally studied my own way and came to my own conclusions, fully accepting myself.

A few years later something came up in church and inspired me that now was the time to tell leaders from my place of strength and knowledge, just stating the fact and not allowing them to “help,” telling them there would be no counseling… they took away callings and it felt bad at first, then I realized it was like a vacation and not a bad thing, i stopped supporting any church financial needs and began attending a gay-positive religion, where gays were accepted as whole and normal… later, as i learned of LDS crusades against gays, I formally resigned from the LDS and dont feel I would ever return to a cultic religion of any kind… I spent 12 years with the gay church and gave it up, along with all organized religions a few years ago. The Golden Rule is my path now.

The LDS anti-gay teachings and political crusades show that my decisions to leave the LDS were right for me and led to a great path of self discovery that no organized religion could have given me. I have studied several renditions of critical observations about Joseph Smith and Mormonism, along with many other isms, and personally see no value in those religions at this time… when i was leaving the LDS, a member asked if I didnt believe in Joseph Smith any more… I said just as much as in the other religious leaders, the prophets of other churches… to me they were all wrong together and setting themselves up to be followed by us.

I look forward in the years to come when all faiths come to accept gays, not bwecause they are forced to, but because they become enlightened to do so, as in the Golden Rule…

When people work to restrict other’s rights, then their own may become restricted in return… when LDS work against gays, the LDS are seeking the same discrimination from others… what goes around comes around… the Karma will come home to roost… and Zion will never be built until the LDS learn that lesson and stop it. All people should be free to live as they wish, single or partnered, married or unmarried…

I wish that more rank and file members of the LDS (Mormon) church would realize: the anti-gay coalition they’ve joined in California is one that includes folks who – given the chance – would vote their church out of existence.

Folks like Mike Huckabee and his Evangelical buddies.

Jadvar

September 15, 2008 at 8:49 am

Speaking from experience as a recently married, previously partnered (not Mormon) California resident, there are several rights when you are “married” that you do not get under a domestic partnership.

It was set up as a “separate but equal system.” There is NO SUCH THING. Even the US supreme court found this idea is much more fantasy than reality.

One prominent example is that I could not get life insurance on my partner until we were married. Even though my employer provided domestic partner benefits. Several of those benefits were not available to a “domestic partner” if the company providing the benefit was out of state. His employer, although very gay-friendly locally, contracted all benefits through an out of state company that also had no domestic partnership laws so they couldn’t offer “domestic partner” benefits at all. We faxed our marriage certificate to them, and presto, the whole family was covered under his employer’s benefits as well. This will save our family about $1000/month, not chump change, at least for us.

I could go on with other examples, but the point is made. I suspect we will continue to find even more examples.

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That said, I’m so heartened to see that not all Mormons are blindly following an intolerant leader. I have to say that from what I knew, I just assumed all would … which was bigoted of me. So thank you, and my apologies for my own intolerance.

That said, I get the impression that you all will have a tough road ahead convincing fellow members of your church. I wish you all the best, and thank you all from the bottom of my heart!